Khashoggi fallout continues, mail-bomb plot rocks the US, EU court rules on defamation of Prophet Muhammad

UN calls for special report on 'extrajudicial execution' of Khashoggi

UN calls for special report on 'extrajudicial execution' of Khashoggi As Saudi Arabia continues to take responsibility for the killing of journalist and Riyadh critic Jamal Khashoggi, a UN rapporteur called on the kingdom to prove that it was not an "extrajudicial execution". Agnes Callamard, the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial execution, stated the burden of proof lies with Saudi Arabia. "And until I am proven otherwise, I will have to assume that this is the case. It will be up to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to demonstrate that it was not," Callamard said. This comes after a Saudi public prosecutor said that evidence obtained from Turkish officials showed the killing was "premeditated". The kingdom had initially claimed Khashoggi had left the consulate before leaked details of the investigation pressured them into changing their narrative. The prosecutor's claim on Thursday is the third major change in narrative. International pressure continued to mount throughout the week. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addressed his AK Party parliamentary group regarding the journalist's killing on Tuesday, saying Khashoggi was the victim of a "planned" and "brutal murder". The president suggested Turkey lead the investigation. "We will surely investigate this murder committed within our borders with all its dimensions and do whatever is necessary. Jamal Khashoggi is not just a Saudi citizen but also an internationally renowned journalist, which gives us an additional responsibility on an international level." Also on Tuesday, Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz and his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, received Khashoggi's family members including the slain journalist's son, Salah Khashoggi. A photo of the handshake between Khashoggi's son and Crown Prince bin Salman has gone viral and triggered a lot of anger on social media. The Saudi king said the kingdom will hold to account those who had "failed in their duties" over Jamal Khashoggi's killing, regardless of who they are. US officials warn more mail-bombs could be found after 10 sent to Democrats A bizarre mail-bomb plot is unfolding in the US after 10-known packages were sent to prominent Democrats and critics of Donald Trump, including former President Barack Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, former Vice President Joe Biden, actor Robert De Niro and a CNN bureau. The bombs are about 6 inches long, packed with powder and broken glass, and sent in envelopes with bubble-wrap interiors bearing six American flag stamps. The packages have stoked nationwide tensions and fears as voters prepare for the November 6 mid-term elections to determine partisan control of the Congress. Security officials in New York would not discuss the possible motives or details on how the packages found their way into the US postal system. They didn't confirm if any of the packages had detonated, but they stressed they were still treating them as "live devices". EU court rules defamation of Prophet Muhammad is not free expression Finally, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled that defamation of Prophet Muhammad's marriage is not free expression after an Austrian national made those remarks in her seminars held in 2009. The talks, entitled "Basic Information on Islam," were said to have gone "beyond the permissible limits of an objective debate" and "could stir up prejudice and put at risk religious peace," and thus exceeds the permissible limits of freedom of expression, ruled the ECHR on Thursday. This upheld a previous lower court decision. The statement also added there had been no violation of Article 10 of the European Convention of Human Rights, which covers freedom of expression. Visit trtworld.com

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